EARTHFEST CELEBRATION RETURNS TO WORLD’S FAIR PARK

EarthFest returns to World’s Fair Park for its 15th annual celebration of Earth Day. The day-long festival takes place Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville.

EarthFest is a free, zero-waste event with educational exhibits, a youth area with kids’ crafts, food and live entertainment for the entire family, including pets.

The City of Knoxville’s Solid Waste Office, one of the initial founders of EarthFest, has been a key coordinator of the event since it began in 2000. “Since its inception, the festival has continued to grow both in vendor participation and public support,” said John Homa, Solid Waste Project Manager for the City. “When we first started EarthFest, our goal was to get the word out about recycling and saving the environment to the citizens of Knoxville. We had around 40 vendors and 3,000 attendees; this year, we have 100 vendors and are anticipating a crowd of 10,000 to 14,000 people. I think we are getting the word out, and the citizens of Knoxville are receptive to the Earth Day message.”

During a zero-waste event, exhibitors and food vendors control the types of materials they sell or distribute in order to minimize waste. Food is served on reusable Frisbees, water stations are available to refill bottles, and there are no trash cans on site. EarthFest organizers provide recycling and composting opportunities for everything distributed at the event.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to take part in an EarthFest educational scavenger hunt. Participants will get their scavenger hunt player’s card stamped as they answer questions at select vendor booths around the festival. Once completed, participants will be entered to win a grand prize, with other giveaways every hour.

Other on-site events at EarthFest will include: live music, a Medic blood drive, a fuel-efficient car showcase organized by East Tennessee Clean Fuels, cell phone recycling at the Sprint booth, an incandescent light bulb exchange by Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), a rain barrel sale by the Water Quality Forum, a fairy tale-themed enviro-character exhibit, and a mercury thermometer exchange by the City of Knoxville.

For more information on EarthFest 2014, including a detailed list of sponsors, on-site events, theme demonstrations and scavenger hunt prizes, visit www.knox-earthfest.org